The Past is the Past
by Konaxookami
Summary: It was her memory. It was merely her ancestor's ancient and never-ending feelings. It was only Hegemon's heartfelt need to protect his beloved. Einhart told herself that. In fact, she had demanded herself to accept that fact. An EinhartxVivio oneshot


So, first Tea and Subaru and now Vivio and Einhart? I'm always choosing the scarce pairings. But really-the development between these two in the ViVid manga is adorable and makes me want to squeal. Einhart especially. It's refreshing to see someone so polite and yet shy. It's great. Granted, I hadn't expected to write something like this. I came across some difficulties...(Why doesn't Einhart's device have a name? I don't even know what it looks like...) such as how to classify Hegemon and Sankt Kaiser's relationship. Going off what Einhart's told us and what I've seen I took a shot and it worked for the story. So I hope you enjoy! (I really wish there were more VivioxEinhart stories out there-but Vivio is so shippable she's basically with everyone! x3 )

Ignore anything I couldn't pick up mistake wise-I have no beta. As always I disclaim ANY OWNAGE of these characters.  
Breaks in the writing mean a POV change

**The Past is the Past**

* * *

It was her memory. It was merely her ancestor's ancient and never-ending feelings. It was only Hegemon's heartfelt need to protect his beloved. Einhart told herself that. In fact, she had demanded herself to accept that fact.

"Ne, Ein-chan, do you want to practice Strike Arts after class?"

Yes, she had to constantly remind herself that Vivio Takamachi was not the Saint Kaiser of her memories. "Yes, that sounds alright Vivio-san," she answered calmly, feeling her stomach flutter slightly as the heterochromic eyes before her sparkled in happiness. She fought to control the light pink blush that formed on her face as the two walked through their academy's campus. "Will Corona-san or Lio-san be joining us as well?"

"mm, no Lio-chan has to help her older siblings out around the house and Corona-chan has to go to a practice session with some of our other classmates," Vivio answered shaking her head before smiling, "So it'll just be the two of us!" Einhart had to resist the urge to blush again at her happily chirped comment.

"I see…I look forward to it Vivio-san," she muttered, glancing away slightly, not trusting herself to meet the eyes of her younger friend. She had known Vivio for four years now. In those four years she had come to the conclusion that Vivio was indeed a different person from the woman that her ancestor had so dearly cared for. However…she found herself growing attached to the girl in a way she hadn't expected. Through Vivio's honest and almost naïve nature Einhart had found herself growing attached to the girl in ways she hadn't expected. Her original purpose to see if Vivio could use the Arts that were passed down to her had changed into simply wanting to spend time with her, to train with her and help her grow into her magic and her birthright.

But that was where the problem laid. She couldn't figure out why she was so attached. It hadn't been very long ago that she felt jumpy around Vivio in a way she hadn't been since the two met. Back then the jumpiness had been on account of not knowing Vivio's nature, and not expecting the very straightforward nature of the smaller girl. But now…she couldn't put her finger on it. Suddenly she was jumpy around her for all the wrong reasons.

Einhart jumped slightly as Vivio touched her shoulder and looked to the worried girl beside her, "Ein? Are you okay? You were looking awfully wistful just then…" her eyebrows met in a frown, "Is something wrong?"

"A-ah…" Einhart blinked, a light blush tingeing her cheeks as she felt the warmth of Vivio's hand through her uniform, "Yes…I'm fine Vivio-san, it's nothing…I was just thinking was all," she answered, stumbling lightly over her words at first. When Vivio's frown didn't lighten she tried to persist, "Really Vivio-san," She blinked though when the smaller of the two of them firmed her grasp on her uniform and stopped Einhart from moving. She opened her mouth to ask her to let her go but the words fell dry as Vivio leaned up and kissed the side of Einhart's temple that was closest to her.

"Bad thoughts fly away," she murmured, pulling back with a light smile and a small blush, "There! Fate-mama does that to Nanoha-mama when she has a headache or she's thinking too much," she explained, letting Einhart's shoulder go, "Feel better now?"

Einhart blinked rapidly and felt her blush increase threefold as she fumbled to find the right words, "A-ah…y-es…that is…" she stuttered, nodding, "Th-thank you Vivio-san," She quickly ducked her head and thanked the saints that the class bells were ringing, "If you'll excuse me…" she muttered, speeding off from her blonde friend.

"See ya after class Ein-chan!"

Einhart couldn't even focus during class. Her mind was drifting off to green pastures. In exact, she was replaying the moment where Vivio kissed her forehead. The spot still tingled, as if the girl's lip were still brushing against it. This, however, did nothing to help her blushing. It was a spot of amusement for her classmates, who knew Einhart to be the cool and composed type. Seeing her flustered was always a sight to be seen.

She had to remind herself. Vivio was not her. Vivio was not, in any way, shape, or form her ancestor's lover. One part of her mind taunted her with the fact that, Vivio was in fact a carbon copy of Hegemon's lover, Regina Olivie, minus the memories. Therein laid her issue. Whereas she had to deal with memories that did not in fact, belong to her, Vivio lived her days in a blissful ignorant dream. She had no idea the horrible way she'd died, and the pain from being separated from the one she loved so deeply. _That's not fair though…from what Nove-san and Vivio-san have told me she's had just as bad a life as anyone from our pasts can attest to…_

She felt the grip on her pencil tighten as she recalled a rather frightful sleepover where Vivio had started to scream in her sleep from her mama to save her. If Jail weren't already an apprehended criminal…Einhart's eyes narrowed at the thought, she herself would have finished him. She blinked at the thought and frowned, there it was again. Was it Hegemon who was saying that, or Einhart Stratos? Was it her will, or his? She could never know when it came to Vivio. She let out a sigh of frustration, was there no ends to the what ifs?

She jolted out of her thought as the day's end bell began to chime as she rose to say thank you to her teacher. She packed her bag and tried to shake the thoughts from her head with a firm frown. Enough was enough. Vivio was Vivio and not Sankt Kaiser. Despite whatever excuse her mind was to cook up there was no way around that fact. As she left her school building and headed to the school's training area she tried to not brood too much. She needed to spar badly. It would help clear her mind and get all this nonsense out her mind.

"Ah! There you are Ein-chan!" Vivio's head rose and she waved as her friend entered the gym area, "Cris and I have been waiting!" she teased, already putting on her sparring gear.

"Ah…sorry…I had to talk to my instructor about something after class," Einhart lied, dropping her school things and quickly changing into her sparring clothes and gear.

"Oh! I'm only teasing you Ein! No need to get upset," Vivio corrected a sheepish grin on her face, "Would you mind if we sparred in adult mode today? I wanted to try a few things out that I normally can't do in regular sparring like this,"

"Ah…" Einhart's mind screamed for her to say no, "Not at all, we can do that. What exactly are you going to try?" she asked, taking out her device and getting ready to set up.

"Ehehe, it's a secret Ein! If I told you you'd be expecting it!" Vivio giggled, "Now…Cris," the stuffed rabbit flew over to her and rose a small stuffed paw, "Set up, adult form," Einhart watched in mute awe as the small girl was surrounded by a Belkan magic rune and blue and white magical energy covered her form before it shattered and the girl before stood taller and fuller.

"We'll have to make it a short few matches though Vivio-san," Einhart reminded, setting up her device, "I got a bit worn out today in combat magic class this morning," she reminded, "Set up, adult form," she closed her eyes and shuddered as her mind was assailed with images of the woman before her, from another time and era, smiling and laughing alongside her ancestor._ No…It's only Vivio and me. Not Klaus and Olivie._ She forced the memory down and opened her eyes and watched as the magic around her disintegrated.

"Alright Ein-chan," Einhart had to fight the butterflies in her stomach as Vivio's deeper, more adult voice spoke to her, "Standard first to hit the mat procedure?" she asked, a grin already in place as she bounced lightly from foot to foot.

"Yes," Einhart nodded, crouching slightly and preparing from Vivio's attack.

"Let's do it!"

Jab, block, kick, sweep. It was all a pattern to Einhart. The two of them knew each other's patterns easily enough to be able to not need to entirely focus on the match. Einhart, for instance, was trying to beat back the feeling when her forearm connected with Vivio's in a block gone to a feint. She couldn't focus. She could feel herself loosing footing. Vivio noticed it too as her mouth set in a slight frown. Einhart knew she would've contacted her via her mind, but respected that during adult mode Einhart wasn't one to talk to telepathically.

_Ah…this must be the new move…_Einhart mused, watching as the girl before her spun out from under a punch she'd hooked. Vivio's leg struck out at Einhart's ankles and the older girl nearly dodged it. Nearly. Vivio's accuracy was slightly off so her foot hooked Einhart's while she was backing off of the attack. The result seemed to happen in slow motion. As Vivio tried to stand up to follow she stumbled and fell on top of the already tumbling Einhart. Instinct kicked in and Einhart grabbed the girl and tucked her to her chest as her back hit the ground harshly.

Einhart groaned at the impact and slowly opened her eyes to stare up at a speechless Vivio. "Are you okay?" she asked hesitantly, shifting slightly. When she did though he face flushed. Her legs were tangled in Vivio's and with her arms around Vivio's waist the girl was pressed flush against her. She fought against the whimper that so desperately tried to escape her lips. "Vivio-san?" she called again when her friend didn't answer her.

"Eh?" Vivio blinked, "Ah, yeah, I'm okay-are you Ein?" Einhart nodded and expected Vivio to get off of her. Instead, the girl stared at her face, a look of awe on it, "You know Ein…I never really noticed it but…you're really beautiful," she whispered, as if afraid if she talked too loud she'd ruin the moment.

Einhart's eyes widened and she couldn't even remember the words forming as they left her mouth, "You are too…Beautiful…" she blushed as she realized the words left her mouth and averted her eyes. She squirmed slightly beneath her friend, as if to remind her of their position, but the girl above her stayed put, gazing at Einhart with her mismatched eyes. "Vi…Vio?"

Einhart was frozen in place as Vivio began to lean downward towards her. Her heart began to thud noisily in her chest and she felt her lips part slightly as the girl lowered herself so close that her bangs tickled her forehead. Einhart felt her eyes start to close in reflex as she felt the hot air of Vivio's quiet breaths. Her lips were so…

**Beep Beep Beep!**

The two jolted apart and struggled to part from one another as Cris's eyes flashed with a message. "a-ah…open communication line, " Vivio struggled, smoothing her rumpled clothing.

The screen flashed in front of them and Nanoha greeted them happily, "Ne-Vivio, you should start to head home soon- Fate-mama is going to be home for dinner!" she reminded, a smile on her face. She glanced past her daughter to see Einhart, "Ah, Einhart-chan, good to see you too. You two were sparring?" Einhart managed a mute and frantic nod at the question before Nanoha turned to her daughter, "Alright Vivio, I'm sorry to cut your sparring short but hurry home, kay?" Vivio nodded and the screen closed.

The gym was silent for a few long moments before Vivio glanced awkwardly at her older friend, "I…gotta get going…" she murmured, not even bothering to transform back to her normal form as she grabbed her school things and stuffed her sparring gear in her bag. "I'll see you tomorrow Ein-chan," she bid farewell hastily and scurried from the gym, leaving a stunned and silent Einhart in her wake.

The girl sat there on the sparring mat, her mind whirling as she tried to make sense of the last five minutes of her life. Her mind churned, ferociously battling with Hegemon's own memories of sweet and tender kisses. She covered her mouth with a hand and blushed furiously, squeezing her eyes shut, trying to gain some control over her own mind. "Disarm," she ordered her device and there she sat again, the 16 year old shuddering at the rush of memories flying past her eyes. But she could still taste Vivio's sweet breath, still feel her bangs brushing against her forehead. It was maddening. She had been so _close._

"Mou! Stopping laughing at me Nove!" Vivio demanded, blushing furiously as her instructor laughed across their open communication link. She pouted and huffed, "I need your advice! I don't…I mean…" she blushed more and buried her face in the pillow in her lap, "I almost…"

"You almost kissed Einhart!" Nove snickered, leaning on her elbows towards the screen, "Aren't you the straightforward one. You must get it from Nanoha-san," she teased, causing Vivio to stick her tongue out at the combat cyborg. "But really…man! I knew it was about time before it happened. After all…you two were in adult form right?" Vivio nodded quickly, "Well, that makes sense, doesn't it? Since in those forms you seem to be more like Sankt Kaiser right? I'll bet it was the force of your adult forms and your DNA that did it to ya,"

"No!" Nove blinked at the outcry, "I mean…I wasn't seeing Hegemon when I did that…I was… I mean…" she blushed again and her words were muffled by the pillow, "I was looking only at Ein-chan when I did that…"

Nove grinned and chuckled lightly, "Well, your hormones could be rushing…Perhaps this is the sign of a budding spring romance!" she teased before glancing at the side of her screen. A smirk slid to her face and she snickered again, "Well aren't I popular tonight? Sorry shrimp looks like we'll have to cut this one short,"

"Why? Who is it? Subaru-san?" Vivio asked.

"Na, it's another drama-tastic girl," she glanced at Vivio as the girl began to blush, "So, I'm off to listen to another hormonal teenager," she gave a mock salute, " 'Till then princess!" and with that the screen was gone. Vivio felt herself flush at the jab and stuck out her tongue as she flopped to her bed. She looked over to her door as she heard a knock.

"Vivio? Can I come in?" Fate's face poked through a small opening in the door, her voice soft and calm. Vivio nodded and watched as her blonde mother came and sat next to her, "Is something bothering you? You've seemed to be thinking about something very hard today," she started, "You hardly talked during dinner so I was just wondering…do you need to talk about something?" she asked, a light and understanding smile on her face.

Vivio took a deep breath and sat up and nodded to her mother, "Well…it was when Einhart and I were sparring today…"

"So you're saying you need my help?" Nove grinned at the flustered girl over the screen, "So she almost kissed you, so what? Aren't you at the age where you start liking people anyways?"

"Well, that's just it, I mean…I figure…she _is_ fourteen now so…that's around the age where most teenagers start thinking and experimenting right? So maybe it was just her hormones and…" Einhart babbled, fidgeting on her bed as she watched Nove grin at her. She flushed and glared weakly at her friend, "Stop grinning like that! It's not funny!" she cried, burying her head in her knees.

"You've been thinking about this for a while haven't you?" Nove questioned.

Einhart's eyes poked up as she nodded, "Yes, but how did you-"

"Oh please Einhart, I've known you for four years now, I know a hell of a lot more about you than you think," Nove dismissed, waving a hand, "Besides, whenever you're worried about something or you're agitated you think over every single, minute possibility before taking action or calling me for help," Move rose a eyebrow, "Did you really spend the past four hours thinking over that five minutes?" she asked, gaining a blush over her communication. She snickered and leaned back in her chair, "Man! You two are really too similar…"

"What do you mean?" Einahrt questioned, blinking in confusion.

Nove winked and rose a finger to her mouth, "My lips are sealed. But I really don't get why you're so hung up over the whole thing…so she almost kissed you…where does that put you? Nothing's changed has it?"

"That's…not entirely true…" Nove blinked as Einhart continued, "Lately…I don't know why…but Vivio…I mean…" she buried her face in her knees again, "I can't stop thinking about her. It's…different from when I remember things from Ingvalt and Olivie…" she blushed again, "Vivio's not Olivie-I _know _that…and yet…these feelings…all they remind me of are the way that the Emperor felt about Olivie,"

"So…have you factored in the possibility that maybe you might just love Vivio for Vivio?" Nove asked, gained a blank expression from the girl on the screen. She blanched, "You…didn't think of that did you?" she deadpanned, running a hand through her hair.

Einhart blinked, staring stunned at the screen. Love? Love _Vivio?_ "Me…love…her?" she tested, the words unfamiliar to her as she blushed slightly.

"Bingo kiddo. Geez…you two are hopeless…Chances are you're just confused because of Hegemon's feelings and your feelings. Seeing as the two of you love basically the same person," Nove shrugged, "it makes sense that'd you have a bit of an identity crisis, right?"

Einhart blushed, "But…I don't want to force my feelings onto her. After all, she might misinterpret it-I've told her how Ingvalt and Olivie felt about each other so she might just think I feel this way because of…" she trailed off as Nove's laughter trilled over the connection.

"Just go with the flow! Knowing Vivio, she'll probably want to talk about it tomorrow. She's like her mother in that way. Just be straightforward with her and you'll be fine. If anything you'll get rejected, but something tells me that probably won't be the case," Nove looked off the monitor as the sound of a distant voice was caught in the connection, "Be there in a minute onee!" Nove turned back to Einhart, "Say, I gotta go. It's dinner time over here," When Einhart nodded she waved, "Later!" The screen disappeared with a pop and Einhart was left in silence.

"Go with the flow…?" she repeated and sighed, "Easy for Nove to say…she's more straightforward than me…" She groused, falling back to her bed with a large sigh. "I don't even _want_ to think about sleeping…"Einhart murmured, shuddering at the thought of how today's events were going to affect her dreams. She could practically see it already. A frown set on her face, it was going to be a long night.

"So even _Nove_ didn't help me out much," Vivio concluded her tale, pulling her knees to her chest and sighing, "So I don't know what to do Fate-mama…If Nanoha-mama hadn't called…" she trailed off and blushed, "Ein-chan and I would've…kissed…" She looked up to her silent mother, "What should I do?"

Fate offered a sympathetic small to her daughter and chuckled lightly, "You know, I went through something similar when I was your age," When Vivio perked up and blinked in curiosity towards her mother she continued, "When I was your age I started to develop feelings towards Nanoha-mama just like you are for Einhart-san,"

"Eh? But…I thought you and Nanoha-mama had known each other's feelings since the start?" Vivio asked quizzically.

Fate chuckled, pulling her daughter to her side, "Well, not entirely. Nanoha-mama reached out to me in the same way that you did to Einhart-san. I cherished that friendship as my very first one…so when I started feeling differently towards her…I got scared," she looked down at her her daughter, "Believe it or not I almost did the same thing you did," she confided.

"You did? Fate-mama?" Vivio exclaimed. In all the years she'd known her mother, she'd always known her to be the quiet, thoughtful type. Not one who would go and do something impulsive like she had.

Fate nodded and gave her a sheepish look, "After that I avoided her for at least a week before I got deployed on a mission and got hurt. While I was in the infirmary she came and scolded me for being foolish and ignoring her for a silly reason," she giggled, "Then she went out and confessed to me. She tells me I couldn't speak for a good five minutes," Fate looked down at her daughter, "It was a classic case of overreaction on my case,"

"I see…but…Fate-mama, you and Nanoha-mama are different from me and Ein-chan. I mean…Ein's…she's just…" she blushed and glanced away, "So much more mature and all,"

"Well, the last thing either of you need is for you to go and ignore her. It might make her think that she did something wrong or that you must hate her for something," Fate advised, "Besides, Nanoha-mama and I have had an idea you might be falling for Einhart-san for a long time now,"

Vivio's head shot up and she fumbled with her words, "Y-You did? H-how?" She squeaked, mortified when her mother started to laugh.

"We had an idea the moment you started to take an interest in her," Fate informed, "We knew you two would be friends. You're too similar to not be. Besides that you inherited the Takamachi willpower," she teased, "I knew you'd chase after something you became attached to. To be honest I'm glad it's Einhart-san," she nodded, "That girl seems so much happier now than when we first met her,"

Vivio had to smile at her mother's words, "Yeah, ein-chan smiles so much more nowadays…It's nice," she agreed. She frowned though, "But…Even though we're similar there's still a problem," she shifted slightly in her mother's soft embrace, "What if…Ein says yes…but because of the way Ingvalt felt and not because of how she feels?" she whispered.

Fate hummed softly and Vivio continued, "I mean…she already told me about how Olivie and Ingvalt felt about one another. What if her feelings get confused with his?" she sniffed, "I…would hate to think that Einhart only was with me because of someone that wasn't really me,"

Fate squeezed her girl to her side and chuckled, "You silly girl. Einhart-san is so much better at knowing who she is than you believe," she soothed, "Besides, Einhart-san has always thought of Vivio as Vivio and not as the Sankt Kaiser. Not since the two of you met,"

Vivio huffed a sigh, "So what should I do?"

"Tell her how you feel. Be honest with her and she'll be honest with you," Fate kissed Vivio's forehead lightly, "Don't be afraid and simply follow your heart. It'll do the hard stuff for you," she murmured, standing up and walking towards the door, "Don't stay up too late thinking about it Vivio. Good night,"

"mmm, thanks Fate-mama, good night," Vivio answered, falling back onto her bed and letting loose a sigh as her blonde mother closed the door. _Follow my heart? Be honest? Gosh…where would I even begin?_ Vivio yawned and felt her eye lids droop, _I…can't even start to think about it…I'll just…I'll talk to Einhart-chan tomorrow…and I'll tell her exactly how I feel_, a lazy smile appeared on her face, _Just wait Ein…I'm gonna knock your socks off…_She yawned again and turned over in her bed, crawling underneath her covers. "Cris…shut off the lights…" she murmured, "Night Cris…" she whispered as she drifted off into sleep.

_ Einhart-chan, if you could, meet me in the courtyard after afternoon classes? I want to talk. Vivio. _Vivio bit her lip before she had Cris send the mail to her friend's device. She still had butterflies in her stomach. In fact-there was no way she was going to make it through her classes intact if this kept up. She'd burst from the nerves and excitement. She looked at her device, who gave her a small thumbs up, "Thanks Cris…but I'm still not all that sure about it…" she laughed nervously, "I don't know how Einhart is going to react, you know?" she mused, touching the rabbit's paw with a finger.

"Hey! Mid-Childa to Vivio!" the girl in questioned blinked, looked up to her friends, "you done moping?"

"Ah…Lio-chan, Corona-chan…" Vivio blinked, "I was just thinking is all," she blushed and giggled slightly, "I guess I'm a bit nervous about something so I guess I'm thinking too hard," she laughed slightly and looked at her unconvinced friends. She gave them a look for a moment before deflating, "You aren't gonna let me keep it to myself are you?" she asked quietly.

Lio grinned and leaned forward, "Nope! So spill it Vivio!" she exclaimed, sitting next to the girl as Corona sat to the other side of Vivio. "It's something pretty big if you're moping about it,"

"I wasn't moping!" Vivio protested, puffing out a cheek and pouting.

"Says you! You had that distant look on your face. The one you wear when you think about Einhart-chan or you're in trouble, so spill!"

Vivio stuttered and blushed, "I-I do not mope when I think about Einhart!" she hissed.

"Ohh…she admitted it Lio-chan!" Corona giggled, "So…what happened between the two of you?" she asked, leaning towards the girl on the middle. When Lio did likewise Vivio squeaked, quickly looking from friend to friend before sighing.

"Mou…fine. It started when Ein-chan and I went to spar after classes…"

Einhart fidgeted, glancing at her device. The message wasn't a fake right? It wasn't just her mind playing a trick on her, right? She furrowed her brow and glanced at the clock tower apprehensively. Afternoon classes had ended at least 20 minutes ago. Even the elementary classes had ended a while ago. Yet…Einhart glanced at the empty courtyard and felt her stomach flip again. She was completely alone out here. Vivio wasn't here, and she was starting to feel foolish.

She glanced down at the textbook in her lap and tried to focus on the assigned reading, but her mind was elsewhere. She'd read the same two lines for the past twenty minutes and even if someone asked her, she wouldn't be able to tell them what the beginning of their new chapter was about.

The back of her mind tickled her with a thought, _She's not coming. She's going to stand you up._ The thought made her heart clench and she shuddered at it. She let out a forceful breath and tried to reign in her thoughts. _No. Vivio is not one to say she'll be there and not show up…at least without calling in advance, _the second part of her thought made her glance to her phone and smother a sigh before it even had the chance to come out.

It was thirty minutes after Vivio had said she would be here. She knew that Lio and Corona had already left. Vivio always either left with them or her. She _knew _that. And yet…_Ten more minutes…just ten more minutes Einhart. Come on, you can do this_, She glanced towards the middle school with anxious eyes. She could wait. Claus had waited for centuries to be reincarnated to achieve his will. She herself had waited and searched for years to find Vivio herself. This was nothing, right? Her eyes trailed up to the top of the clock tower and felt her stomach plummet at the time. Time's up. She was out of time.

Biting back tears and gritting her teeth, she gathered her things and stood. It was for the better right? It made sense. Vivio wouldn't want to have a thing to do with her after what had happened. It was okay. Really. Right? She sniffed, and felt a few tears leak out of her eyes despite her protests. She could understand why Ingvalt had been so sad when Olivie walked out of his life. How he had thrown himself into training and threw all else away. What else was there to do to mask the pain? "It's too late…" she whispered, ducking her head and starting to scurry off.

Vivio stumbled over herself as she tried to hurry as fast as she could towards the courtyard. She was late! _It's all Sensei's fault! Making me clean the classroom myself for daydreaming in class and taking Cris away until I finished! Einhart's still waiting!_ She lamented in her head, skidding as he rounded another corner of campus. Gone were the butterflies of the morning. In their place was the bubbling fear that Einhart had left already; that she'd taken the lateness as a refusal, as an insult.

_Ein-chan…_Vivio tried to reach out with her mind to touch Einhart's and get her to wait but the distance was too great and she didn't know where she was exactly. "Come on…please," she begged as she sprinted towards the courtyard, "please still be there," she rounded the last corner and ran down the straightway. Her eyes widened as she watched her friend close her book and stand, getting ready to leave. As the girl began to walk away, Vivio called out to her, "Einhart! Wait!" her words didn't seem the reach the girl as she kept walking.

_I'm not giving up that easily!_ Vivio gritted her teeth and reached towards her friend, straining. "Einhart!" she finally cried, stumbling as she yanked at the girl's nearest arm, spilling her bag and its contents to the ground in the process, "Wait," she pleaded, panting as she clung tightly to the startled girl's wrist.

Einhart blinked, startled as her wrist was forcefully yanked back and she turned, startled. Her tears were quickly forgotten as she stared in mute awe at the girl before her. Her hair was a mess and her forehead was beaded with sweat. She was bent over and panting…but the grip on her wrist was firm, and the girl refused to let go.

"Vi…vio…" she whispered, "Did you…run all the way here?" she knew it was at least a ten minute walk across the large campus to the courtyard from the middle school building. To have run that distance…it wasn't an easy path-it was full of zigzags and sharp turns. Vivio…had run all that way.

"Yes," Vivio answered after a time, still gathering her breath, "I…the teacher picked me for clean up duty and took Cris as collab so I would finish cleaning," she gulped in a few more breaths, "I…ran as fast as I could after I finished," Vivio finally looked up at her friend, "I didn't want you to-" she blinked and stopped talking, "Ein…were you crying?"

Einhart blinked before blushing and rapidly trying to wipe away the tears, "It's nothing! I was just-pollen got in my eyes and…" she trailed off as Vivio let go of her wrist and gently pulled her hand from her eyes. "Ah…I mean…" Vivio's eyes pierced through her lie and she gulped, "Yes," she finally answered.

Vivio straightened and frowned, "I'm sorry…if only I'd finished cleaning sooner you…" she scratched her foot against the ground and rose her eyes to gaze at her friend sympathetically, "I'm really sorry about this Ein-chan,"

"No!" Einhart quickly blurted out in response, "It makes perfect sense that you'd have to stay and do your class duties. I don't mind at all the waiting, really," she lied, a blush accompanying her words as she tried to answer her friend to make her smile.

Vivio managed a weak smile and nodded, "Right, all the same though…" she bowed slightly, "Sorry for making you wait, especially after I was the one who requested you come," she apologized.

Einhart nodded and shifted uncomfortably on her feet, "It's alright. But on the subject…what did you want to talk about?" she hazarded quietly. She folded her hands in front of her and felt her stomach flip again, she was nervous.

"Right…I wanted to talk about what happened yesterday," Vivio began, picking at the ground with her foot again, "I…first of all wanted to apologize for putting you in that position," she murmured with a blush, bowing her head.

Einhart felt her hear lurch and she had to blink rapidly to stop the tears from spilling over, "It's alright, really… I mean…" she trailed off and let out a shaky breath, "We all make mistakes right?"

"Yeah but…Ein-chan," Vivio looked up, "I wanted to tell you why I almost did what I did," She gulped and took in a deep breath, "I…I've known you for a while now Einhart. In fact…you've become one of my best friends in such a short time," she smiled softly, "You knew what it was like to be the odd one out, to be someone you really aren't, but became by chance,"

Einhart nodded jerkily and agreed with her. To be a reincarnation of the Sankt Kaiser and the Emperor was difficult. No one else she knew had the colorful heterochromia of Belkan royalty. No one else was like them.

"I…always looked up to you, you know, "Vivio admitted, "You were so strong and so calm about everything. So resolute," she peered up at the mint haired girl, "But so sad. I wanted to reach out to you and understand you," she laughed, "Of course, we got off to a rocky start didn't we? But…I cherished every moment," she blushed and laughed again, "I'm rambling aren't I?" she mused.

"No! It's okay…really," Einhart interjected, "Really…I mean, I've cherished every moment too. Any moment I've had with you Vivio-san is important to me," Einhart blushed slightly, "That is to say…you're very important to me Vivio," Einhart was rewarded from her embarrassing words by the brilliant smile that Vivio gave her.

"You're important to me too Ein…in fact…" Vivio trailed off and stared at the ground for a moment, blushing. She took Einhart's closest hand and squeezed it tightly, "You're…one of my most important people," her heart was racing and she was screaming at herself inside to just say it, but she couldn't get it out.

Einhart blushed and felt her eyes widen, "I…" she gasped, feeling acutely aware of the hands around her one, "I appreciate that Vivio- More than you could ever know," she placed her other hand on top of the two that held her's, "Now it's my turn…right?"

When Vivio nodded mutely Einhart began, "When…I first met you, I could tell who you were. You were the one that Claus so dearly treasured. The one he wanted to protect," She smiled, "As I've said before, that will transferred to me. I wanted to become strong and protect you, as the one that Claus wanted to protect…or at least her double," She trailed off and squeezed the hands she held, reassuring the girl, "But soon…I found myself not just protecting you because you were a new Olivie…I was protecting you because you were Vivio,"

"I knew…that my feelings were changing. You were my friend, my dear friend," she gave a bigger smile, blushing all the while, "nothing that Claus and Olivie were like or had been could change that fact," she looked down and the blush increased, "Then…I started to feel something different…that is…I mean…I felt…I started feeling deeper feelings towards you,"

Vivio felt her eyes widen and she opened her mouth to speak but Einhart beat her to it, "At first I thought it was just some remnant feelings that lingering in me of Claus and Olivie…But," she averted her eyes, "I didn't see them so much as I saw us, but I was still confused…I thought it was a misunderstanding on my part…until…"

"Yesterday?" Vivio hazarded, blushing, "Me too…I mean…I didn't realize until…" she trailed off and bit her lip. _Come on Vivio! Just go out and say it!_ "That is…Einhart…I think that I…" she squeezed her eyes shut and gulped, "I really like you!"

There was silence, and all Vivio could hear was the pounding of her heart and all she felt was the stillness of the hands in hers. "Vi…vio…" she slowly looked up at the quiet uttering of her name and was shocked to see the awed face of her friend. She felt the fear of rejection bubble up and quickly tried to think of something to say in stop the inevitable but when she opened her mouth to answer Einhart spoke, "I really like you too,"

The two stood in an awkward silence before Vivio cracked a smile and started laughing. It wasn't long after that Einhart joined her as they collapsed to the ground. The nervous tension dissipated through their laughter as they held hands and laughed at one another.

Vivio was the first to speak as she moved to hug her friend, "Wow…I don't think I've ever been so relieved before in my life," she admitted, hugging Einhart's side softly, "I'm glad it's over with though,"

Einhart hummed in agreement, "I was so worried that Nove-san was wrong that-"

"Wait," vivio interjected, "you talked to Nove too?" when Einhart nodded Vivio blushed, "why that! So you were who she talked too after me!"

Einhart gave her friend a shocked look, "W-wait, you talked to Nove too?" she stuttered. The two looked at one another before both silently imaging the combat cyborg cracking up in their heads.

"I'm gonna get her for that," Vivio vowed, blushing furiously, "and then she went and…mou! Meddler…" she grumbled.

Einhart gave off a shaky sigh, "It's to figure though…it _is_ Nove-san after all," she ran a hand through her hair and hugged Vivio to her side softly, "But still…Vivio, I want to ask you properly,"

"Eh?" Vivio blinked, "Ask…?" she repeated curiously.

"Will you go out with me?" Einhart asked quietly, averting her eyes slightly. She yelped in surprise as the girl at her side tackled her to the ground in a bear hug, "Vi-Vivio?" she squeaked, hearing the girl giggling on top of her. Her blush only increased as she realized their position, "Vivio?" she repeated again, a bit louder.

"Of course EIn! You didn't even have to ask!" she looked down at her embarrassed friend and giggled, "You're so cute when you're embarrassed," she confided, smiling down at the girl who in turn gaped at her in shock.

"I…what? Vivio!" she cried, "You…" she groaned and heaved a sigh, "I'm not going to have a moment's peace am I?" she mused, giving her new girlfriend a tired smile.

"Nope. But I'll always keep you guessing Ein, so you don't have to worry about being bored!" Vivio chirped in reply. She lowered her face and nuzzled her nose against Einhart's, "Thank you Ein…for everything," she whispered, locking eyes with the twin pair of heterochromic eyes beneath her.

"You too Vivio…thank you," Einhart managed to breath, her brain not quite working at fill capacity due to the closeness of said girl above her. She felt her eyes drift to a close as Vivio's lips made a slow descent towards her own. When their lips met in a tentative kiss she felt her heart sore and she wrapped her arms around the girl above her, holding her tightly. _I'll always stay by your side Vivio…I'll protect you…and only you…because…I love you more than anything, and I know that's _my_ truth; not anyone else's._

* * *

Yes I know, 'they didn't say I love you?' Well, in real life it takes a while to get the courage to say something like that. And with a person like Einhart and another like Vivio...it could take some time. (maybe another story?) The funny thing is I expected this to only be around 2000 or so words and turns up to be over 6800. (woah...) But I'd like to know how you like it! Good dymanics? Should I do this again? Vivio and Einhart for the win? (xD) but in case case review and let me know! I'm always willing to hear from you. Critique is lovely as long as it's not rude or snobby (it hurts my very tiny self esteem...err, what?)

As always thank you for reading and I look forward to hearing from you!

**~konaxookami**


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